


Muggles on the Moon

by beyondthesunset



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Because they are 11, Canon Compliant, Deals with some anti-muggleborn prejudice, Early formation of their friendship, Fluff, This is way pre-relationsip, very light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 18:25:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14141889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beyondthesunset/pseuds/beyondthesunset
Summary: When James and Lily get into a fight during their first year at Hogwarts, he doesn't believe her when she says that Muggles have been to the moon.





	Muggles on the Moon

October 1971

 

Lily was walking on air on the way back to Gryffindor tower. The first year Gryffindors had had their first examination in potions and Lily had gotten back a 100%. She was ecstatic. This had been a total validation of all the feelings she’d had for the last month and a half that she was really quite good at potions. Ever since her first lesson, the whole subject seemed very reasonable and well-ordered to her.

 

She climbed into the portrait hole and looked around the common room. For a moment she thought she was the first back, but they she spotted James Potter sitting near the fire. She headed his way. She really wanted someone to ask her how she had done.

 

She was immediately obliged when she settled into the seat next to James. “Pretty easy test, huh?” He said casually. Not quite the take Lily had hoped for, but the opening she needed.

 

“I suppose. I got a 100%.”

 

His eyes quirked up in surprise at her statement. “You did? I heard other people were having a hard time with it.”

 

“Then why did you say it was easy?” she asked.

 

“Well, I got a 98,” he said, seemingly totally unabashed about his quick turn.

 

“Well, that’s very good.” Lily tried to sound kind, really, but she could hear that she sounded condescending. It struck her how much she sounded like Petunia when Lily tried to play with the older girls Petunia brought home.

 

James rolled his eyes. “Well, I suppose it comes naturally to me. My father and uncle both work with very advanced potions. I wonder where you got it, though.”

 

Lily stiffened slightly. Ever since she had arrived at Hogwarts she would occasionally encounter odd comments about her apparent talent at just about everything she took on. “What do you mean by that?” she asked somewhat sharply.

 

“Well, I just…” She could see that James was floundering slightly. “No one would have taught you anything at home, you know?”

 

“My parents taught me all kinds of things, thank you,” she said tersely, trying her best to keep sounding like Petunia.

 

“Well, I mean like real stuff,” he replied quickly. Lily took in a sharp breath.

 

“Real stuff?”

 

“Right. Like potion making.”

 

“I learned all sorts of real stuff at home.” Lily’s voice was rising to a shout now.

 

“Your parents taught you about magic? But I thought they were Muggles.” Genuine confusion was clouding his face now. “Was one of them a Squib?”

 

“I mean real Muggle stuff!” She was shouting properly now and James was looking increasingly wrong-footed. “Muggles know real stuff too.”

 

“Look, I know that. I’m not saying your parents are stupid or anything. Just that it’s not the same.”

 

Lily saw red. “My parents aren’t stupid. You’re stupid.”

 

“I just said they weren’t.” James’ voice was rising too. Lily had never shouted at another student before. She felt like the harmony of her new home was breaking down a little. “I just mean Muggles can’t do what wizards can. And your parents can’t teach you anything about potions!”

 

“Obviously not,” she replied dismissively.

 

“So it’s good you did so well,” he said sharply. His tone of voice made it sound like an insult and it took Lily’s brain a moment to realize it was a compliment. She stammered for a moment and felt herself blush.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome,” he replied smiling.

 

“But Muggles can do plenty wizards can’t.”

 

“What?” James looked confused again.

 

“You said they couldn’t, and you’re wrong,” Lily said, jutting her chin out defiantly.

 

“Name one thing!” he snapped.

 

Lily’s mind was racing. She didn’t know everything that wizards had done. Magic was amazing after all. But then a memory of a night a few summers ago when Lily was allowed to stay out late and go watch the neighbors’ TV popped into Lily’s mind.

 

“Have wizards ever been to the moon?”

 

There was a short pause in which James just stared at her open mouthed and then his face split into a wide grin. “Of course not, Evans.”

 

“Well, Muggles have.”

 

“No they haven’t.”

 

“Uh-huh!” Lily snapped.

 

“Fine, I’ll bet you they haven’t!” James snapped. Lily knew bets were a big deal to several of the boys in her dorm.

 

“If I win, you never say anything like that about Muggles again,” she said quickly.

 

“Fine. If I win, you have to admit I was right in front of everyone,” James made a vague motion off toward the portrait hole and Lily glanced that way. Standing there was the entire Gryffindor first year class, plus a few older kids. Lily felt her face redden slightly, but kept her cool. She extended a hand toward James and he took it and shook resolutely.

 

“We’ll go ask McGonagall,” James announced and started heading toward the portrait hole.

 

“What?” Lily snapped.

 

“Come on. She would know, she knows loads,” James said confidently. Lily hurried after. McGonagall was head of their house and a very good teacher. She was James’ favorite because she taught Transfiguration, which seemed to be his favorite subject. She did know quite a lot, and Lily rather liked her, but Lily couldn’t help wondering if she would know about this.

 

James was hurrying ahead of her in the corridor and she rushed to keep up. As she grew level he sped up again but Lily didn’t want him to be the one to get to McGonagall’s office first. Lily sped up as well and soon they were running down the hallway, avoiding older students who were drifting out of the last lessons of the day. They skidded to a stop in front of McGonagall’s door. James who had beaten Lily there by mere moments knocked quickly and then stood back. They both quickly composed themselves.

 

Having straightened themselves there was an awkward pause while they both stared at the closed door. Lily glanced slowly at James and found him looking at her. He reached out and knocked again. Still nothing happened. No sound came from within.

 

“Teacher’s lounge, do you think?” James asked, the first thing either of them had said to each other in several minutes.

 

“Could be,” Lily allowed cautiously. No sooner were the words out of Lily’s mouth than James was off sprinting in that direction. Lily let out a shout and pelted after him.

 

They hurled out of a relatively deserted hallway and into a more crowded one, nearly crashing into a group of Hufflepufs that Lily thought might be fifth years. James wound through the crowed quickly and Lily threw herself in after him without hesitating. He was not going to beat her this time. As she emerged from the crowd Lily would swear that she heard James laugh joyfully up ahead. She put on another spurt of speed and found that she was grinning as well.

 

They were neck and neck as they approached the teacher’s lounge door. Lily was trying to push James aside and insure her victory and James was doing much the same. He showed no sign of slowing and Lily thought smugly that she wouldn’t be the first to stop.

 

The mad dash to the door ended abruptly as they collided with it at full speed both trying to box the other out and knock without actually stopping. They bounced unceremoniously off the door with a loud crash and it was almost immediately flung open by an irate Professor Slughorn.

 

“What in the world?” his eyes moved down to focus on the two first years scrambling to their feet, “Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, what is the meaning of this?”

 

Lily was immediately ashamed and self-conscious. She tried to look innocent while also straightening her hair and her rumpled robes and controlling her breathing. James knew no such shame.

 

“Is Professor McGonagall here?” he asked. Slughorn barely had time to glance over his shoulder before the teacher in question swept into their field of view, her lips held in a tight line that Lily had, up to that moment, only ever seen directed at other people.

 

“I’ll handle this, Professor, excuse me,” she threw over her shoulder, stepping into the deserted hallway and pulling the door closed behind her. “What’s this all about, then?”

 

“I’m sorry, Professor,” Lily said quickly.

 

At the same moment James said “Lily and I were having an argument.” At that point they glanced at each other and were off speaking rapidly and simultaneously.

 

“… he said Muggles were dumb…”

 

“…thought you could tell her it wasn’t true…”

 

“… saw it on TV…”

 

“… don’t even know what I did…”

 

Professor McGonagall held up her hand sharply and they both fell silent under the look she gave them. “You both understand that it is not appropriate to run in the halls or to slam into the staff room door with such force. In future a light knock will do.” They both nodded quickly. She surveyed them for a second longer. “Very well, if I followed that correctly, there was a question you wished to ask?”

 

Lily opened her mouth but once again James was quicker. “Tell Lily Muggles haven’t been to the moon,” he snapped.

 

“They have, though,” said Lily quickly, “I watched it on TV.”

 

“Yes, I did as well,” McGonagall allowed. James’ mouth immediately popped open. “Professor Dumbledore was rather excited about the whole thing and took us to a Muggle pub that had a television.”

 

Lily rounded on James, grinning. “I told you so!”

 

James still seemed flabbergasted. “But how did they do it?”

 

“As I understand it, they enclosed themselves in a metal tube and then exploded the bottom of it while it was pointed at the moon. The explosion threw them up there,” allowed McGonagall thoughtfully, “thought I will admit I am no expert.”

 

Lily felt that that made it sound rather undignified, though she wasn’t sure that it was wrong. She glanced carefully at James. The point of all this was to get him to take back that Muggles were stupid.

 

“That’s brilliant!” James bellowed. “Totally mad though,” he added, and Lily’s heart sank.

 

“It seems unconventional but it worked,” said McGonagall a little sharply. “Which is more than can be said of anything wizards have ever tried. It you’ll excuse me.” She turned and went back into the staff room.

 

“You watched this?” Lily realized James was looking at her now.

 

“Yes. On television.” Lily spotted the confused look in his eye and quickly forestalled the question. “It’s sort of like a crystal ball. It lets you see far away things in a box. My neighbors have one.”

 

“But it works without magic?” he asked guardedly.

 

“Yeah,” Lily frowned, trying to call up hazy memories of Muggle science classes in years past. “It runs on electricity, which is like lightning.”

 

“And Muggles put it in a box? Wicked!” He turned to walk back toward the common room. Lily hurried to catch up.

 

“I won, you know,” she said.

 

“Well, don’t rub it in.”

 

“You would if you won,” Lily said sharply.

 

This caused James to pause a moment. “Fair,” he allowed.

 

“Means you’re not allowed to say Muggles are stupid anymore. Or they can’t do stuff.”

 

“Of course not. They sound brilliant.”

 

“Good,” said Lily shortly. There was a long pause as they walked in silence.

 

“Do you think we could make a big enough explosion to get to the moon?” James asked suddenly.

 

“I think McGonagall would kill us if we did. Not to mention our parents,” Lily said. James nodded thoughtfully at this.

 

“What’s the moon like?” he asked.

 

Lily paused a moment, picturing the images on TV. “Dusty,” she said slowly. James laughed.

 

“I still can’t believe you beat me at potions.”

 

“Why not?” she said quickly.

 

“I’m clever,” he said simply.

 

“Well so am I,” Lily said sharply.

 

“I know,” James seemed a bit hurt, “no reason to get mad.”

 

There was a pause in which Lily watched James’ face out of the corner of her eye. He was still but he looked a little hurt.

 

“People don’t think I’m smart because my parents are Muggles,” she said quickly.

 

There was a pause while James seemed to roll this over in his head. Lily kept her eyes down, not wanting to stare. She’d never admitted that out loud the whole time she’d been at Hogwarts. It felt more real now that she had said it.

 

“Well, then people are wrong.” James said it very simply. Lily could feel a smile growing on her face. “I mean I’m a genius and you managed to beat me on a test.” James looked smug again.

 

“If I didn’t beat you, would you say they were right?” Lily asked tentatively.

 

James looked at her with uncharacteristic seriousness. “Well, Avery is pure blood and I heard he got a 20%.” He paused again rolling this over in his mind. “So I guess it doesn’t matter much one way or another.”

 

Lily felt a burst of relief. Potter wasn’t that bad after all. “I also beat you at the bet,” she said sharply, throwing it as a challenge.

 

“Well, I would know that too if my parents had a television,” he huffed. “Look, you’re definitely smart but this was just one test. You might have gotten lucky.”

 

“You might have gotten lucky!” Lily rejoined.

 

“But I didn’t!”

 

“Neither did I!” she snapped. There was another pause as they approached the portrait hole and thought formed in Lily’s mind. “Well, we’ll see next week.”

 

James glanced up at her. “What?”

 

“We have a Transfiguration test next week. We’ll see who’s lucky then.” Lily could feel a smile spreading wide across her face. She glanced over and a matching smile was spreading on James’.

 

“I suppose we will.”


End file.
